A Bolt From The Blue
by Mrs Carmichael
Summary: Sequel to Kissing You. Rachel and Eddie’s relationship faces its first major challenge when a face from their not-to-distant past makes an appearance, with an announcement. Full summary inside, Reddie all the way xxx
1. The Ultimate Gift

**Hey everyone! Now as promised, here's the sequel to Kissing You, set six weeks after.**

**Hope you like it and let me know what you think!**

**This story is for all those who wanted me to write the sequel, thanks guys! Wouldn't have done it without your support!**

**Love you all Gemz xxxxxxxx**

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A Bolt From The Blue

**Summary: Sequel to Kissing You. Rachel and Eddie's relationship faces its first major challenge when a face from their not-to-distant past makes an appearance, with an announcement. Will it make their relationship stronger or will it make them realise that they were never meant to be together?**

**Chapter 1: The Ultimate Gift**

Rachel sat down on the toilet seat and took a deep breath, looking downwards at the pregnancy test result in her hand. The word pregnant blinked up at her, she closed her eyes and then opened them again, looking down at the result once again, wondering whether she had imagined it. She hadn't, she was pregnant with Eddie's baby. Rachel had thought as much when she realised that her period was late, then came the tiredness and the morning sickness, eliminating all the traces of doubt that she had had about what was happening to her. Rachel was in two minds about the pregnancy; on one hand, she was happy about it, she had always wanted to have a child and with every year that had passed, she had begun to lose hope in that ever happening. However, she and Eddie had only been seeing each other for six weeks and it seemed a little early in their relationship to be thinking about settling down together and having a family. Rachel didn't know how he would react to the news that she was carrying his child, she knew she wanted a baby, true, this had been a complete shock to her, she thought they'd been careful but at the same time, she knew that this could be her last chance to be something other than a head teacher and whatever Eddie said about it, she had already made up her mind, she was going to keep the baby.

Rachel stood up and put the pregnancy test back in the bathroom cabinet. She picked up the glass from the shelf and filled it half-full with water, she drunk half the contents and tipped the remainder down the sink. She rested her hands on the edge of the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. She had thought they had been careful; obviously they had slipped up at least once for this to have happened. All of a sudden, it came to her, their first night together after the bowling. That was the only time that she could think of that it could've happened, that night, they had both let their passion for the other get the better of them, not giving a second thought to what would happen if they weren't careful. Rachel mentally scolded herself for that; she was normally so responsible when it came to things like that. Mind you, Rachel knew as well as the next person that being in love made people do things that were so out-of-character but being in love with Eddie and doing something that, six weeks ago, would've been so out-of-character for her, had given her the ultimate gift and she wasn't going to throw it away now.

Rachel looked at herself once more in the mirror and then reached for the bathroom door.

She left the bathroom and re-entered her bedroom. She sat on the edge of the bed, wondering how she was going to broach the subject of her pregnancy with Eddie and was interrupted when her phone started beeping on the bedside table. Rachel reached out and picked it up, she smiled when she realised she had a text from Eddie: _Hey beautiful, missed you so much this past week, I hate these residential courses :( Can I see you tonight? Love you E xxx_

Rachel grinned to herself, temporarily about the pregnancy new that she knew she would have to share with him when he came back. Eddie has been away on residential course for the school whole week and Rachel had missed him so much. It wasn't as though they hadn't spoken to each other in all that time; in fact, they had spoken on the phone every night since he'd been gone, often staying on the line for hours on end, relaying details to each other about their days and recalling all their memories of being together, which made their separation a little easier to bear. A little, but not much. It had been agony for Rachel to go into school everyday for the past few days and not see him wandering around the corridors, or peep into his classroom and watch him teaching, or trying to teach, algebra to a bunch of students who really couldn't care less. Just knowing that she'd be speaking to him at the end of every day was getting her through, now she only had a few more hours to endure without him and she couldn't wait to see him again. That was another of the good things about their relationship, the fact that they could talk to each other about everything and anything, it just seemed so natural to both of them, their friendship had been that way for most of the time that they'd known each other, ever since Eddie had told Rachel about his twin sons with Alison and how Steven had died of cot death. Rachel in turn had let him help her out after he'd discovered that Hordley had been blackmailing her. She knew she couldn't keep the pregnancy a secret from him, it was his baby too after all.

She snapped out of her trance, realising that she had been staring at his message for the last few minutes and haven't even replied. She hit the options key and scrolled through until she reached call back. Rachel pressed call and put the phone to her ear, waiting for him to answer. "Morning beautiful," he said.

She could tell he was smiling on the other end, she knew from his tone of voice. Rachel was smiling too, it was what he did to her. They had only been seeing each other six weeks but his voice still sent shivers down her spine, shivers of delight. "Good morning handsome," she replied, "I got your message."

"And?"

"And what?"

"Can I see you tonight?"

"Oh I don't know Mr Lawson," Rachel teased as she twisted a piece of her hair around her finger, "I might already have plans."

"Really? But I know if you did have plans, you'd cancel them just to see me,"

Rachel laughed down the phone, Eddie smiled as her laughter tinkled down the phone. After everything she had been through in this past year, she deserved to have a laugh. "Well, as it happens, I'm not doing anything tonight, Phillip's going out with Bolton and Paul so we'd have the house to ourselves," she said.

"Is this an invitation Miss Mason?"

She giggled down the phone again, "if that's what you wanna call it then yeah, it is,"

"Then I accept,"

"Great! I'll come and pick you up from the station if that's OK with you,"

"That's fine with me Rachel, my train should be getting in just after six,"

"I'll see you tonight then,"

"You will do, I can't wait,"

"Neither can I, I've missed you Eddie,"

"You too Rachel, see you tonight, love you,"

"Love you too Eddie, bye," Rachel said and she hung up.

She lay back on the bed and stared upwards at the ceiling, smiling to herself. In these past six weeks, Rachel had been happier than she had been in such a long time and that was largely down to Eddie. He was coming today and already, she knew that today would be a lot easier than the previous four school days she had had to endure without him. Her hand rested on her stomach and she sighed to herself, she would tell him when she saw him tonight, news of an unexpected pregnancy wasn't really the sort of thing that she could share with him over the phone, she needed to do it face-to-face. She wasn't entirely sure how Eddie would take the news but not having Phillip in the house would certainly make it a lot easier for her to tell him.

Rachel looked over at the clock on her bedside table, it read 7:55. Just over ten hours, she thought to herself as she got off her bed and straightened her clothes. Rachel walked over to the bedroom door and opened it, knowing that the next time she walked through this door, she'd be within hours of being back with Eddie, that thought alone made the grin upon her face widen even further.

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"Do you wanna lift into school Phillip?" Rachel asked as she picked up her things from the living room sofa.

Phillip looked up at her and nodded, "if you don't mind Rachel," he replied.

"Course not," she smiled warmly, "are you still out with Bolton and Paul tonight then?" she added.

Once again, Phillip nodded, "why do you ask?" he questioned.

"I just like to know what you're getting up to,"

"So it has nothing to do with the fact that Eddie's due back from his course today?" she looked up at Phillip, unable to suppress the grin, "it's alright Rach, you're allowed to be happy. As long as I don't have to hear the details."

Rachel laughed, "I'll keep them to myself then," she said, "you are OK with me and Eddie, aren't you? I know it probably was a bit of a shock to you, especially so soon after him and your mum…" she trailed off.

"I'm fine with it Rachel, honestly. Mum didn't deserve him anyway, not after what she did,"

Rachel couldn't think of an answer to that. What Phillip had said was true, in part. Melissa didn't deserve Eddie, especially, after lying, or not telling him the truth, about her two previous marriages. She probably wouldn't have even come clean had Phillip not gone to Rachel and told her everything, forcing Melissa's hand. Melissa was selfish, something that Rachel could never be, she'd abandoned her own child, that wasn't the only thing that disgusted Rachel. She and Melissa were supposed to be sisters and sisters were supposed to tell each other everything. Now, Rachel and Melissa were further apart than they'd ever been. That wasn't Rachel's fault but she couldn't think about any of that, her main focus was Phillip and making sure he was getting through it OK. He was the one most affected my Melissa's sudden departure, it had affected her and Eddie to a certain extent too but as a result of Melissa leaving, they had found each other, neither of them could be unhappy about that.

Rachel was stood by the front door, waiting for Phillip to fetch his school things. She couldn't wait for the school day to be over, not least because the weekend was coming but also because she was seeing Eddie again that evening, and she couldn't wait, despite being a bit nervous about telling him about the pregnancy. She'd missed him these past few days, being away from him had taught her a few things, it had made her realise how much she loved him and how much he had changed her life simply by loving her for who she was right now, not what she had been in the past.

Once Phillip had picked up his school things, he and Rachel got into her silver car, she reversed out of the drive then drove off in the direction of the school.

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**Comments please! xxx**


	2. Speaking The Truth

**Hey everyone! Next update for you. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter, I really appreciate it! This is for you guys.**

**Enjoy and let me know what you think!**

**And Happy Easter to you all, an early present for you!**

**Lots of love Gemz xxxxxxxxx**

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Chapter 2: Speaking The Truth

Rachel drove into the school grounds and parked her car in the space underneath her office window. As soon as the car came to a standstill, Phillip took his seatbelt off and got out of the car, "I'll see you later Phillip," Rachel called after him.

"See you later Rachel," Phillip muttered as he shut the door and headed towards the main entrance.

Rachel looked at her reflection in the rear view mirror, adjusting her reappearance slightly. She realised that the engine was still running so she turned the key in the ignition and the humming of the engine died away. Rachel opened the door and stepped onto the tarmac, she walked round to the boot and opened it, taking her things out before shutting it, she locked the car door and began to walk towards the school with a spring in her step, knowing that with every minute that passed, she was a minute closer to being back in Eddie's arms. The thought of that made Rachel smile, "what are you smiling about Rachel?" Steph asked as she appeared out of her classroom as Rachel passed.

Rachel stopped walking and turned to face Steph, attempting to rearrange her facial expression into something a little less readable, "nothing Steph, just looking forward to the weekend, that's all," she lied, using the only possible reason that her colleague was unlikely to pursue.

Rachel began to walk away but Steph wasn't one to let go that easily and she fell into step beside Rachel, "so…" she began, "it has nothing to do with the fact that a certain Mr. Lawson is due back at school on Monday?"

"Course not," Rachel said a little too quickly, "haven't you got things to attend to Miss Haydock?" she added as she reached the top of the staircase and turned to walk towards her office.

Steph watched as Rachel walked through the door to the secretary's office which in turn led to her office, convinced that she wasn't being told the full story. She, like all the other members of staff, had noted Rachel's mood over the previous four school, they had all agreed had something to do with her disposition but none of them had dared ask her, until now. Rachel's dramatic change in mood had all but confirmed in Steph's mind that Eddie's absence was indeed the reason behind her mood. She had no idea what was going on between Rachel and Eddie and was determined to find out, and go to any lengths to do so.

Rachel entered her office and closed the door behind her, she looked towards her desk and groaned inwardly at the mound of paperwork that she still had to complete, she knew she'd have to get it done before the bell rang at the end of the school day because there was no way that she was going to cancel seeing Eddie because of all this paperwork. Rachel put her things down on the sofa and looked towards the coffee maker, debating whether to make herself one or not. She decided against it, for now, coffee and her hadn't been a good mix recently especially since the morning sickness had kicked in. Rachel picked up the bag containing her laptop and set it down on her desk, she walked round and sat herself down in her chair before pulling her laptop out of its bag and switching it on. Rachel pushed her laptop aside slightly and pulled the first lot of paperwork towards her, all this had to be either signed, posted or filed away by the end of the day, tonight of all nights, she didn't want to have to stay behind any later than she had to.

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The morning went by very slowly for Rachel, she knew it was going to anyway, time always seemed to crawl when you're waiting for something, today was no different. Rachel stopped herself from clock watching, knowing that the time wasn't going to go any faster if she looked up at the clock every five minutes. Thankfully for her, the paperwork was almost complete so she felt that she'd be able to leave the rest of it until after lunch and still get it all done before the end of the school day. Rachel pulled her chair out from underneath her desk and decided to have a wander around the school to make sure that nothing out of the ordinary was happening. She got out of her seat and walked towards her office door, closing it behind her as she departed.

She walked through all the corridors, checking for skivers and there were none, to her surprise. Rachel walked through a set of double doors and began to walk down another corridor when she spotted a man holding a bunch of flowers standing at the reception desk. "Excuse me, can I help you?" she asked the stranger politely.

He turned to face her, "ah yes, I'm looking for Rachel Mason," he replied.

"You've found her,"

"Ah well, these are for you," the delivery guy said as he handed Rachel the flowers, "you've obviously made a big impact on someone out there," he added as he began to walk towards the doors.

Rachel hadn't really paid much attention to the flowers when she'd first spotted them in the delivery guy's arms, thinking that they were probably for someone else and not entertaining the possibility that they might've been for her. Now she knew that the flowers were indeed for her, she couldn't take her eyes off them, they were simply gorgeous. She smiled once again but the smile soon slid off her face when the bell rang overhead, signalling the start of the lunch break. Rachel turned around and began to make her way to her office, trying to get there without any of the staff and students noticing, knowing that she would face a barrage of question about the sender of the flowers if they were. She failed miserably as she was joined going up the stairs which led to both her office and the staff room by Steph, "who are the flowers from then Rachel?" she asked, unable to squash her curiosity.

Rachel smiled to herself once again, of course she knew who they were from but she wasn't about to tell Steph that, "I don't actually know," she lied as they reached the top of the staircase.

"Ooooh, there's a card, let's have a look," Steph said as she reached out for the envelope.

Rachel swatted her hand away before walking off back into her office. She sat herself down in her chair once again and rested the flowers in her lap as she picked up the envelope. She opened up the envelope and pulled out the small card inside and read what was written upon it: _You don't know how much I've missed you this last week, I'll show you tonight ;) xxx_

Rachel's heart began to pound inside her chest, they were just words on a piece of card but her body couldn't help but react to them, he made her feel so special and that was one of the many reason why she loved him. Rachel wished that she'd believed him on that first day of term when he'd told her she was special outside the pub that evening, she just wished she'd taken a chance and allowed him to show her that he had been speaking the truth about his feelings towards her. She hadn't, Rachel rejected him but she was soon made to regret that decision. There wasn't a day that went by in Eddie's relationship with Melissa that she didn't feel that her rejection of him was being rubbed in her face, watching him lavish affection upon her own sister and wondering whether he had actually meant what he'd said outside the pub. Rachel knew there was no reason to dwell on that now, they were together and she was pregnant with his baby, not that he knew that yet. Now she and Eddie were together, she didn't want anything to spoil it. Rachel looked back down at the flowers in her lap, for a brief moment, she thought about texting Eddie to thank him for the flowers but then decided against it, she decided to leave him hanging, wondering whether she'd received them or not.

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"Have you seen the Demon Headteacher today?" Matt asked as Steph entered the staff room.

The Demon Headteacher was the nickname that staff had chosen to bestow upon Rachel when they'd picked up on her bad mood on Monday morning. Steph nodded as she walked into the kitchenette, "she's not so demon anymore," she replied as she flicked the switch on the kettle.

"How come?" Tom piped up.

"I just saw her coming up the stairs, bouquet of flowers in her arms and a smile so wide she could eat a banana sideways," Steph said as she turned to face them, gripping the edge of the kitchen unit to stop herself jumping up and down excitedly.

"And who were the flowers from?" Matt asked.

"She said she didn't know but it doesn't take a genius to work it out," Steph replied, she surveyed the expressions on both Tom and Matt's faces, bother were sporting similarly vacant looks, "Eddie of course!"

Tom and Matt looked at each other and laughed, "I think you've got a bit of an overactive imagination Steph, we've heard your theory about Rachel and Eddie so many times over the past few days and honestly, I'm getting bored of it," Matt said, even though he wanted to know as much as Steph whether there was anything going between the two most senior members of staff.

"Yeah, leave it out Steph, its none of your business what they get up to out of school, is it?" Tom said

"OK then," Steph conceded, "if you're both getting bored of hearing my theory, I'll drop it…if I don't have any proof to substantiate it by Monday morning."

"And if you do?" Matt asked.

"You have to make me coffee every break and lunch time for two weeks,"

"One week?"

"A week and a half?" Steph said, compromising between the two.

"Done," Matt replied as they shook on it, "you'll lose though."

"You underestimate me Matt," Steph said as she made herself a coffee and sat down to eat her lunch.

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**Comments please! XxxxX**


	3. Reunited

**Hey everyone! Here's the next update for you. Sorry its taken a while, been busy writing more Reddie fanfic.**

**Thanks so much to everyone who's reviewed, I really do appreciate it.**

**Love you all Gemz xxxxxxx**

**Chapter 3: Reunited**

The school bell rang at three that afternoon, signalling the end of the school day and the start of the weekend. Rachel breathed a huge sigh of relief as she signed her name for what seemed liked the hundredth time on the final piece of paperwork. For the first time that day, she allowed herself to look up at the clock and savour the fact that the school day was over and she was only three hours away from seeing Eddie again, she couldn't wait. Rachel was still a little bit nervous about breaking the news of her pregnancy to him, she hoped that he wouldn't get mad at her and run off. Most men she had been with had run a mile at the slightest sign of commitment, she had come to expect that from men, she hoped Eddie would be different, she didn't want him to head for the hills when she told him she was expecting his baby, she wanted to share that with him, and only him.

Rachel sat back in her chair and looked at all the bits of paperwork that lay strewn across her desk. She leant forwards and tidied them up, standing up and picking up the piles of papers that needed to be filed away. Rachel walked over to her filing cabinet and opened it, putting the paperwork into all the relevant sections and shutting it. Her laptop, a few letters that needed to be posted and few other bits and pieces were all that remained on Rachel's desk. The flowers that Eddie had sent her earlier were in a vase on the table in the corner of her office. She walked back over to her desk and leant over her laptop to switch it off. Rachel waited until her laptop had shut itself down before closing the lid and putting it into its bag. By the time she'd done that and sorted out the rest of her stuff, Phillip was stood in the doorway of her office, waiting for her, "alright Phillip, you had a good day?" she asked as she smiled warmly up at him.

"You sound a bit like mum when you say that," Phillip replied.

"Sorry," Rachel apologised, "I'm just interested, that's all,"

Phillip nodded as he looked around her office, his eyes catching the flowers, "who sent the flowers?" he asked curiously, deep down, he already knew the answer to his own question.

Rachel looked up at him, smiling, "who do you think?" she grinned as she swung her bag over her shoulder.

She walked over to the table with the flowers on and lifted them out of the vase and wrapped them in the paper she'd already laid out. Rachel picked up the flowers and her laptop bag and walked out of the office, Philip closing the door behind him as he followed in her wake.

Rachel emerged out of the shower back at her house a while later. She wrapped a towel around herself and walked into her bedroom. She opened her wardrobe and selected a pair of denim jeans and a white top and closed the wardrobe door before heading back into the bathroom to get dressed, re-emerging fully dressed several minutes later. Rachel looked towards the clock on her bedside table, it read 5:25, she picked her phone up off the bed and put it in her jeans pockets before heading for the bedroom door.

Rachel poked her head around the living room door when she got downstairs, "I'm jut heading out Phillip, I won't be gone too long," she said.

"See you in a bit Rach," Phillip replied, not taking his eyes off the TV.

Rachel withdrew her head and picked up her car keys from the sideboard, smiling at Eddie's flowers, which were now in another vase by her telephone, so that she would see them and be reminded of him every time she entered her house. She unlocked the door and stepped out onto the doorstep, closing and locking the door after her. Rachel pressed the button on the control and her car doors unlocked, she got in, put the key in the ignition, started the engine and for the second time that day reversed out of her driveway and drove off. This time, she was heading for Rochdale station, heading towards Eddie.

Rachel parked the car up in the station car park and made her way onto the platform, as she stood on the platform, she looked at her watch, it was now 5:55, the minutes were ticking, just five more minutes, or however long it took the train to get there until she could see Eddie again. Rachel still hadn't given much thought as to how she'd break the news to him about the pregnancy, all she knew was that she was going to tell him, she didn't want to keep it a secret from him of all people. Eddie was the person that she confided almost everything in, why should this be any different? Rachel had no choice but to tell, after all, it was his baby too and plus, she loved him and didn't want to lie to him.

Rachel was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard the sound of a train coming in the distance. She walked a bit closer and saw the train speeding up the track before coming to a slow and steady halt. Her heart began to pound once again in her chest as she saw scores of people getting off, waiting for her man. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity when in reality, it was only a few seconds, Eddie stepped off the train and onto the platform with his suitcase in hand. Once the stream of people had thinned, he looked in her direction and she looked in his, their gazes locked. Neither of them made a move, they just stared at each other, savouring the moment. After almost a minute of staring at each other, Rachel walked towards him and he put his suitcase down on the floor at his feet. Once Rachel was stood face-to-face with him, she put both her hands to his cheeks and pulled him towards her, kissing him like she'd never kissed him before. They may have only been apart for a few days but it seemed like nothing short of a lifetime to the both of them and that kiss was the perfect welcome home for Eddie. Once they both pulled away, he stared into her eyes, "God, I've missed you so much Rachel," he said.

Rachel leaned her forehead into his, "me too, don't ever go away for that long again," she replied.

"It was only a few days," Eddie laughed.

"I know, it just felt like longer, going to work hasn't been the same,"

"Really?" Eddie questioned.

Rachel nodded as she pulled her forehead away from his. He stooped down to pick up his suitcase and wrapped his free arm around Rachel's waist. "Did you get my flowers then?" he asked as they began to walk off the platform.

Rachel nodded, "they were gorgeous, thank you Eddie," she replied, "Steph saw me with them though."

"Oh God, the last thing we want is her putting two and two together,"

"I don't think I'd mind if she did put two and two together but I just don't want her relationship to be the subject of staffroom gossip,"

"I know Rachel," Eddie said as he kissed the top of her head.

They got back to her car and Rachel opened up the boot so that Eddie could put his suitcase in there. Once he'd done that, he made his way round to the passengers side as Rachel rolled her eyes and closed the boot. "So Miss Mason," he said, "is there any chance of us making good use of the bedroom for something other than sleeping tonight?" he asked, a cheeky grin beginning to spread across his face.

Rachel looked at him and bit her lip, trying to hold in the smirk that was threatening to escape, "I think that's a distinct possibility Mr Lawson, but for now, this is going to have to do," she replied.

She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a passionate kiss, they were both completely unaware that their passionate moment was being caught on film…

Rachel pulled away and smirked at Eddie, "phew!" he remarked, "that's enough of an appetiser for me."

"I should think so," Rachel replied as she let him go and walked round to the driver's side of the car.

She and Eddie both got inside the car and she started the engine before reversing out of her parking space and driving away.

Rachel pulled the car up in the driveway a little while later. She stopped the car and took the key out of the ignition, allowing the hum of the engine to die away. She and Eddie got out of the car and he went around to the boot to retrieve his suitcase. Once he'd done that, they walked up to the front door and Rachel opened it. She and Eddie stepped inside and he closed the door after him. The first he saw as his eyes surveyed the hallway was his flowers on the sideboard, "you put them there?" he asked, looking at her.

She nodded, "I wanted to be reminded of you every time I came back to this house," Rachel replied.

Eddie smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist, "who'd have thought it eh? Rachel Mason, romantic?" he said.

"It's only you that gets that," she replied.

"I should think so!"

Rachel laughed as she poked her head around the living room door and saw Phillip still sat on the sofa watching TV. "You OK Phillip?" she asked.

Phillip turned his head away from the TV and looked at Rachel, seeing Eddie stood behind. He nodded and turned back to the TV, reaching for the remote and switching it off. Phillip stood up and walked to the doorway, "I'm going off to Bolton and Paul in town now," he said, looking from Rachel and Eddie. "I'll leave you two in peace."

"OK then Phillip, just make sure you're back before 11:30, and no getting in trouble with the police," she replied.

Phillip nodded as he walked towards the door, "see you later Phillip!" Eddie called after him.

"Yeah, see ya!" Phillip called back as he stepped out onto the doorstep and closed the door after him.

Rachel rested her head against the doorframe as Eddie wrapped his arms around her waist once more, "alone at last," he murmured, planting a soft kiss against her neck.

Rachel giggled, "you've got me all to yourself tonight Lawson," she replied.

"Good," he said as he kissed her once more, "so what do you wanna do then?" he asked.

Rachel shrugged, "well, I'm starving so how about dinner and a DVD?" she asked.

"Great! So what's for dinner?"

"Takeaway, I can't really be bothered to cook, menu's under the phone if you wanna choose something, I'll just got and fix us some drinks,"

Rachel kissed him once more and walked off into the kitchen, Eddie watched her, checking her out from behind, he was completely entranced by her every movement. Rachel made even the simple things seem so sexy. He snapped out of his daydream and walked towards the telephone. He reached underneath it for the menu and as he put it back down, he glanced at her speed dial, noting that the takeaway place was on there. He laughed, "since when did you have the pizza Chinese takeaway place on the speed dial?" he called through to Rachel.

"Since Phillip's been staying here!" Rachel called back as she stood in the kitchen doorway, "I may be many things Eddie but a domestic goddess isn't one of them."

Eddie smiled and walked towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist, "you're still a goddess to me Rachel,"

"You do say the sweetest things," Rachel smiled.

"I save them all for you," he said as he kissed her, "so what do you want for dinner then?"

"I'll just have a cheese and tomato pizza," Rachel said, "I'll go and sort our drinks, seeing as you distracted me,"

Eddie laughed as she wandered into the kitchen and he walked towards the phone, picking it up to order their dinner.

Rachel walked over to the fridge and opened it, immediately spotting the bottle of wine she had brought especially for that night. Now that she knew that she was pregnant, she knew she couldn't drink it, she didn't want to put hers and Eddie's baby at risk. Rachel scanned the contents of her fridge to find something more suitable and settled upon the carton of orange juice. She took it out of the fridge and reached into one of the cupboards and pulled out a glass. Rachel rested it on the worktop and filled it with the orange liquid, she heard Eddie talking on the phone, ordering their dinner, she replaced the carton of orange juice in the fridge and pulled out a can of beer for him. Rachel's mind was still going wild, wondering how Eddie was going to react to the news of her pregnancy. She knew that she was going to tell him tonight, she didn't want to keep it to herself any longer. Plus, he deserved to know the truth, he was the baby's father after all and she wanted to share her excitement with him.

Eddie put the phone down and went to stand in the kitchen doorway, "dinner's been ordered," he said.

Rachel looked up at him and smiled, "great, aren't you going to pick it up?" she asked.

Eddie shook his head, "I asked them to deliver because to be quite honest, we've been apart for most of this week and I don't wanna leave you again anytime soon, I just wanna make up for lost time," he replied.

Rachel grinned at him, "I like the sound of that," she said, "you go through to the living room Eddie, I'll bring the drinks through in a moment,"

Eddie nodded as he left the kitchen doorway and Rachel picked up her orange juice and Eddie's beer before leaving the kitchen and following him into the living room.

She entered the living room and put the drinks down on the coffee table. Rachel looked up and saw that Eddie was studying her DVD collection, she smiled to herself as she watched him. Soon enough, she walked towards him and wrapped her arms around him from behind. "So what DVD are we watching then?" he asked as he felt Rachel's arms around his middle.

She removed her arms from his waist and stepped in front of him so that she could pick a DVD off the shelf, she picked one and handed it to him, "The Devil Wears Prada?" he questioned incredulously.

Rachel nodded, "do you have a problem with that Mr Lawson?" she replied, teasing him.

"Course not," he hurriedly said, "anything for you Rach," he added as he kissed her forehead.

Rachel grinned at him once more, "go and make yourself comfortable then,"

Eddie smiled and wandered over to the sofa and sat down, making himself comfortable as Rachel knelt down to put the DVD in the DVD player. Once she'd done that, she picked up the DVD remote and switched on the TV. Rachel walked towards the sofa and settled herself into Eddie's arms as they waited for the film to start.

The doorbell rang about half an hour into the film. "Rach?" Eddie gently nudged her in the shoulder.

"Hmm," she murmured as she turned her head to face him.

"That'll be our dinner,"

Rachel sat up so that Eddie could go and get their dinner. He answered the door, paid the delivery guy and took the pizza boxes out of his hands before closing the door and heading back to the living room, balancing the two boxes in his arms. "There we go, dinner is served," he announced as he re-entered the living room.

"Oh great, I really need this," Rachel replied as she took the pizza box that Eddie was holding out to her and leant forwards to kiss him.

"Me too," Eddie agreed as he sat himself back down on the sofa and flipped open the lid of his pizza box and began to eat.

Eddie looked down at Rachel as the movie credits began to roll, dinner had long been eaten and they had just laid there, watching the movie and spending time together, like any other couple would. He ran his hand up and down her side as she snuggled further into his embrace, wanting to be as close to him as possible. Eddie had noticed that she had been drinking orange juice all evening, he knew that she was more of a wine person and had been wondering all evening why tonight, she had chosen to steer clear of the wine, choosing instead to stick to orange juice. "Are you alright Rach?" he finally asked, unable to keep his curiosity and worry at bay any longer.

Rachel turned around in his arms so that she was facing him, he could tell by the expression on her face that she was wondering why he had asked, "yeah, I'm fine Eddie, why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering, you've been drinking orange juice all evening and I was just wondering if something was wrong,"

Rachel's eyes filled up, he was indeed the most caring man she had never met. She knew she had to tell him, now, "listen Eddie," she started, "I've got something I need to tell you."

"What is it Rach? Are You OK?" he asked, unable to keep the anxiety out of his voice, he thought it was something serious, something life-threatening, but it couldn't be further from the truth.

"As I said, I'm fine Eddie but before I go on, I need you to promise that you won't go mad at me,"

"I could never do that Rach, just tell me what's up," Eddie said as he cupped her face in his hands, ensuring that their gazes were locked, "please," he added.

Rachel looked into his eyes, she saw the desperation, the desperation to know what it was she was about to tell him, "I'm pregnant Eddie."

***cue Eastenders theme tune***

**Reviews? It's the only way to find out how Eddie reacts!**

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	4. He's Amazing

**Hey everyone! Here's the next update for you. I am so sorry its taken me so long, had a touch of writers block {unblocked by a friend of mine of Sunday, you know who you are!} so I haven't been writing so much for this :(. Plus, I decided to write the plot outline for this story, just so that I know what's going to happen. I finally finished that last night, all 4,946 words of it! so I decided to crack on with an update, especially as I feel slightly guilty for leaving it where I did last time.**

**Thanks so much to everyone who is reading/reviewing this story, I really do appreciate the feedback, it does keep me going!**

**Anyway, that's enough from me, I'm sure you all just want the update. Extra long one to make up for it being so long.**

**Love you all Gemz xxxxxxxx**

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Chapter 4: He's Amazing

Eddie looked at her, he was experiencing so many different emotions at the moment, shock and excitement being two of them. He was shocked because, like Rachel, he had thought they had been careful but he knew as well as her that they'd slipped up at least once for the pregnancy to occur. On the other hand, he was excited because he had loved Rachel from almost the first moment they had met and now, they were having a baby, the one thing that he had dreamt of for so long, thinking that he had blown his chance of that ever happening when he got together with her sister. Now that she was sat before him telling him she was having his baby, he knew that nothing would ever come close to the happiness he was feeling at that moment. "Are you sure?" he asked, almost as soon as the words left his mouth, he mentally kicked himself, why would she say anything to him if she wasn't sure.

Rachel nodded, "I did the test this morning but I had suspected it for a few days before pushing myself to actually do it," she replied.

"Why didn't you mention it to me sooner?" Eddie asked, he wasn't angry with her, he simply wanted to know why she hadn't mentioned her suspicions to him during one of their long phone conversations while he had been off on the course.

"I didn't think it would be right for me to tell you over the phone. I wanted to do it face-to-face, so I could see first-hand your reaction. Plus, I wasn't sure you'd feel about this. I mean, we have only been together for six weeks, isn't it a bit too soon?"

Eddie leant closer to her and kissed her passionately on the lips, he pulled away and tenderly stroked Rachel's cheek as he spoke, "don't ever doubt how much I love you Rachel, and how much I will love this baby. I know we've only been together for six weeks and the only regret I have about our relationship is that we didn't get together sooner. I know I've made mistakes, getting engaged to Melissa and all that but the only thing that matters now is that we're together, and I promise you, I'm never going to leave you," he said, "or this baby." he added as he moved a hand from Rachel's cheek and placed it on her stomach.

Tears began to well up in Rachel's eyes. She knew it already but that speech confirmed in her eyes that Eddie was the most amazing man she had ever had the privilege of being with. No man had ever treated her in the same way as Eddie did, most of the men she'd been with had run a mile at the slightest sign that the relationship was beginning to get serious. Eddie was so different and she loved that, she loved that he was as happy about the pregnancy as she was, probably more so. They had come so close to being separated forever when she had been trapped in the fire and a lot of things had happened since then that had prevented them from getting together, Melissa arriving and getting together with Eddie being one of the things. All that was behind them both now, they had each other and their unborn baby and they both knew that they wouldn't let anything or anyone come between them ever again. That was one of the special things about their relationship; they had learnt not to take it for granted because they had come so close to losing each for good, neither of them wanted to be put in that position again. "Thank you Eddie," Rachel murmured as she snuggled back into his arms.

"What for?" Eddie asked as he moved her fringe aside and planted a kiss against her forehead, wrapping his arms around her at the same time.

"For just being you, I love you so much and I can't wait until our baby is born,"

"Neither can I Rach," he said as he pulled her closer.

Rachel took a deep breath and rested her head against Eddie's chest, listening to the soft thudding of his heart, knowing that that heart well and truly belonged to her and no-one else. Eddie combed his fingers through Rachel's hair and occasionally leant down to plant a kiss on the top of her head. There was silence between them for several moments before Eddie gently nudged Rachel once more in the shoulder, "you know Rach," he said, "I wasn't planning on spending tonight sleeping on the sofa."

Rachel turned her head towards him and smiled, "neither was I," she said as she sat up.

"And I haven't shown you how much I missed you," Eddie winked at her.

Rachel stood up and grinned at him, holding out her hand, "you'd best show me then," she whispered seductively.

Eddie grinned too as he stood up and took Rachel's hand in his. She began to walk out of the living room and towards the stairs, with Eddie trailing closely behind.

* * *

Rachel closed the bedroom door behind her and Eddie and before she knew what was happening, he had spun her around and pinned her against the door, kissing her passionately. She responded with a similar passion as she allowed her tongue to slip inside his mouth and gently explore the territory that, over the past six weeks, she had made her own. Rachel had missed this over the past few days, she had missed the passion of their kisses and more importantly, their love. She had missed having him so close to her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed her hands to move up into his hair, clenching it in her grip. Rachel unwrapped her arms from his neck soon after and reached for the buttons of his shirt, she had waited so long for this, she couldn't wait much longer and she knew Eddie felt the same way. She impatiently undone his shirt and soon enough, it fell away from his body and landed on the floor at his feet, exposing his naked chest to her. She grudgingly removed her lips from his and began to kiss across his jaw-line, down his neck until she reached his collar bone. Rachel planted several soft, teasing kisses against his collar bone before moving to shower every inch of his chest with her kisses. Eddie pulled her head back up so that it was level with his and kissed her passionately once more, resting his hands upon her waist as he did so. His hands found the hem of her t-shirt and began to lift it away from her gorgeous body, breaking the kiss so that he could pull it over her head, which he did. Rachel moved back towards him and kissed him passionately once more and allowed her tongue to dive back into his mouth, his following suit soon after. Eddie wrapped his arms around her waist once more, lifting her off the ground and guiding her long legs around his waist. He carried her over to the bed and set her down, Rachel giggled as she fell back onto the covers, pulling Eddie down on top of her, kissing him yet again. He broke the kiss and he began to move down her body, kissing her neck and collar bone before reaching her chest, where she still carried the scar from the fire. Bypassing the scar completely, Eddie went to plant soft, tender kisses on her stomach, the stomach that their baby was growing in. Tears of happiness sprang to Rachel's eyes at his tenderness towards her barely-there baby bump; she was so happy that he had flipped out over the unexpected pregnancy; she wanted to bring this baby with him and was so happy that he wanted that too. Eddie moved his head back up from her stomach to her chest and pressed his lips to the edges of the scar, covering it in soft, feather-light kisses. Eddie's lips soon met Rachel's again in a kiss as she arched her back towards him, allowing his hands to move underneath her body to unclip her bra. Once that was clear, Rachel's hands moved from his neck down to the waistband of his jeans, letting them linger there for a few moments before reaching to undo the belt. She undid the button and then lowered the zip before Eddie helped her remove them completely. He, in turn, reached for the button of her jeans, which he undone and then proceeded to lower the zip and remove them completely. Once her jeans were clear too, there was only one barrier between them, one barrier to stop them showing their love for one another. Rachel grabbed hold of Eddie's hands and smiled softly at him as she shimmied up the bed and pulled the covers away before climbing underneath them, Eddie followed her lead and within seconds, he was on top of her, kissing her passionately once again, Rachel responding with equal passion. He soon broke the kiss and disappeared under the covers, hooking his fingers around her lace undies before dragging them down her legs, allowing his fingers to brush her inner thighs as he did so, causing Rachel's breathing to catch in her throat. Once they were clear, Eddie moved his head back up so it was level with hers, he gazed lovingly into her eyes, tenderly caressing her cheek, "I've missed you so much Rach," he whispered.

"I've missed you too Eddie, now it's time for you to show me exactly how much," Rachel replied.

Without further ado, she wrapped her arms around his waist and began to remove his boxers. Once the final barrier had been removed, he gazed downwards and the woman lying beneath him who he loved with all his heart and pressed a soft kiss to her lips as he gently entered her, his lips muffling the sound of the moan that escaped her lips. Rachel moaned as she felt him moving deeper within her, clinging onto his back, pulling him closer to her. It wasn't rushed, it was slow and gentle that the intensity was still there. "Oh Eddie!" Rachel moaned contentedly as she tilted her head back into the pillow, giving Eddie more access to shower her neck with kisses, gently entwining her fingers in his.

Their heart rates and breathing increased tenfold as they both edged closer and closer to climax. Rachel moaned out loud when it finally built to a crescendo, saying Eddie's name over and over again as his followed barely seconds later. She giggled as they lay there together, revelling in the love that they had just expressed for the other. Eddie pressed his lips softly to hers and kissed her continuously until their breathing had returned to normal. He gently withdrew from her and lay down beside her, she shuffled towards him and rested her head again his chest. "You see," Eddie said, "that is how much I missed you."

Rachel laughed as she looked up at him with her piercing brown eyes, "I missed you just as much," she replied, "you'll have to take me with you next time you go away on a course," she joked.

"Hmmm," Eddie said, pondering her suggestion, "sounds like a good idea."

Rachel laughed once more as she rested he head back against his chest, kissing it gently, "I love you Eddie," she said.

"I love you too sweetheart," he replied as he leant down and kissed the top of her head, "sleep well."

"I'll sleep better than I have the past few nights without you,"

"Me too,"

Soon after, Rachel went off to sleep, feeling happier than she had in the past few days, all because the man that she loved was back in her arms. Eddie stayed awake for a while longer, watching her sleep, she looked so beautiful, so peaceful when she slept. He smiled to himself, happy that he was back with the woman he loved but more importantly, he was over the moon that she was pregnant with his baby, they were going to be a family. He had almost given up on ever becoming a father again, especially since he and Alison had split up, now the prospect of being a father again filled him with joy because the mother of his child was the woman he had loved from almost the first moment they had met. Eddie couldn't wait until their child was born and he knew Rachel felt the same way. He soon fell asleep, dreaming about the woman sleeping beside him and their child. Rachel, Eddie and their little baby, the perfect family.

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Reviews? xxx


	5. Making It Official

**Hey everyone! Here's the next update for you, sorry its taken so long, been busy writing more for this and forgetting to update.**

**Thanks to everyone who's reading and reviewing, I really appreciate it!**

**This chapter is dedicated to ****Floz and Sabs**** in my bid to help her through her exams.**

**Love you all Gemz xxxx**

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**Chapter 5: Making It Official**

Rachel woke up early the next morning, blinking as the early morning sunlight flooded through the curtains. She looked up and smiled at Eddie's sleeping form, at that moment in time, she never wanted to leave the safety of his embrace. Rachel climbed out from underneath Eddie's arm, trying to prevent herself from feeling ill but it was no good. She felt the familiar stirring in the pit of her stomach as she pulled the covers off herself and headed to the bathroom, just making it to the toilet in time before being sick. Eventually, she stood up and leant against the sink before reaching to pick up the glass on the shelf and fill it with water. She drunk it and then replaced the glass on the shelf. Rachel ran the tap and splashed her face with cold water, to make herself feel a bit better. She loved the fact that she was pregnant with Eddie's child but she hated the morning sickness, hoping it wouldn't linger for too long. Rachel smiled at the reflection staring back at her in the mirror, finally, the reflection of someone she recognised. She stood there, staring at her reflection for several minutes before heading back into the bedroom.

Eddie stirred as he felt Rachel climbing back into bed beside him, "where did you disappear off to?" he asked, still half-asleep.

"Morning sickness," Rachel replied as she snuggled back into his arms.

Eddie immediately sat up, bringing Rachel with him. "Are you OK? Do you need anything?" he asked in a concerned tone.

Rachel looked into his eyes and melted, she could see the concern he had for her reflected in his eyes, she loved him so much for that, for being one of the only men to ever take her feelings into consideration, no man had ever given a second thought to her feelings, Eddie was constantly doing just that. She smiled, "just a cuddle from my amazing boyfriend," she replied, a large grin spreading across her face as she said the words.

Eddie smiled at her and wrapped his arms around her body, drawing her closer to him. She rested her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around him, feeling safe and secure in his embrace, knowing that he would never let anything bad happen to either her or the baby. He pulled her head away from his chest and cupped her face in his hands, "I love you Rachel Mason," he murmured.

Rachel's heart skipped a beat, it wasn't the first time he'd told her that, far from it but those three words always had that impact on her, it was like she was hearing them for the first time every time he said them. Rachel knew he would never ever take back what he said because he meant it as much as she did when she said it to him. "I love you too Eddie Lawson," she replied, beaming with pride as she said the words.

Eddie smiled at her and planted a soft, tender kiss against Rachel's lips. He pulled away and gazed into her brown eyes, "breakfast?" he questioned.

Rachel thought for a moment, "yeah, why not," she replied.

Eddie kissed her once more before pulling back the covers on the bed and getting out, wandering around Rachel's bedroom trying to find his clothes. Rachel smirked as she watched him retrieve the clothes that had been so hastily discarded the night before. He looked at her and smirked back at her, "are you going to get dressed as well or are you just going to sit there and tease me?" he asked.

Rachel laughed at him, "which one would you prefer?" she asked.

"Neither,"

"Come on Eddie, you have to pick one,"

"OK then," Eddie said as he pulled on his jeans, "I'd rather you got dressed too, because I don't think I can take your teasing this early in the morning."

Rachel pulled a face at him as she watched him get dressed. Once he'd finished, he walked back over to the bed and sat down beside Rachel. He pressed his lips softly to hers and pulled away, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, "you coming down for breakfast or shall I bring it up?" Eddie asked her.

Rachel smiled at him, "I'll come down for it," she replied.

Eddie smiled back at her and kissed her once more before standing up and heading towards the bedroom door. He opened the door and flashed her one more smile before leaving the bedroom doorway to descend the staircase.

As soon as the sound of Eddie's footsteps disappeared, Rachel pulled back the covers on the bed and headed into the bathroom for the second time that morning. She reached around the door and pulled her purple silk dressing gown from where it hung on the back of the door. She pulled it tightly around her body before heading towards her bedroom door.

Rachel padded down the stairs as silently as she could. As she got closer to the bottom, she heard Eddie in the kitchen. She smiled to herself as she approached the kitchen door, it seemed so natural to have Eddie pottering around in her kitchen, making breakfast for the two of them, he made it seem like that had been a regular occurrence in their lives in the past. It couldn't be much further from the truth, they had only been a couple for a little over six weeks but yet, actions like these seemed to be second nature to both of them. She entered the kitchen and as soon as he heard her, Eddie turned around and smiled at her, "toast OK for you?" he asked as he put a couple of slices of bread into the toaster.

Rachel nodded as she walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed the back of his neck. She unwrapped her arms from his waist soon after and reached up to open one of the cupboards before pulling out a jar of raspberry jam and setting it down on the kitchen table. Eddie eyed the jar suspiciously, "what's that" he asked Rachel as she set it down.

She looked at him and laughed, "raspberry jam," she replied, "I like having raspberry jam on toast."

He smiled at her, "that's your pregnancy craving is it?"

Rachel shrugged, "I guess so, I never ate toast with raspberry jam before I was pregnant,"

At that moment, the toast popped out of the toaster and Eddie put the two slices on a plate for Rachel and put it down in front of her before kissing her softly on the lips. "Aren't you having any breakfast?" she asked as she returned his kiss.

Eddie nodded, "yeah I am but I thought I'd make yours first, you're more important," he replied.

Rachel's heart melted at that comment, she loved him even more for that, "thanks Eddie,"

Eddie looked at her and smiled, "my pleasure Rachel," he said as he kissed the top of her head before going back over to the toaster and putting a couple of slices of bread in for himself.

"Did you hear Phillip come back last night?" Rachel asked after she'd finished her first slice of toast.

Eddie shook his head as his toast popped out of the toaster, "did you?"

Rachel shook her head, "why do you think I asked you?"

Eddie shrugged his shoulders, "I'm going to see if he's still in bed," Rachel said as she stood up and headed out of the kitchen.

Rachel stood outside Phillip's bedroom door, listening intently for any sign that he was asleep inside. When she didn't hear anything, she knocked softly of the door, "are you in there Phillip?" she said.

No answer, she pushed down on the door handle and it swung inwards allowing her inside. She stepped inside and the first thing she saw was the bed that hadn't been slept in, alerting her to the fact that he hadn't come back the night before, she wondered where he was, what had happened to him? Why hadn't he let her know? He might've let her know, she had had other things on her mind last night so it would've been quite easy for him to send her message and her not to pick it up. She walked out of his bedroom and closed the door after her. Rachel headed across the landing to her bedroom and saw her jeans on the floor where they'd been discarded in the heat of passion the night before. She bent down and picked them up, fishing around in her pockets for her phone. She pulled it out and saw she had one unread message. She read it and sure enough, it was from Phillip: _Hey Rach, I'm staying over Bolton's tonight, hope you don't mind, figured you and Eddie needed some space as well. See you when I come back._

Rachel breathed a sigh of relief after reading his text, she was glad he was safe, she was beginning to wonder whether anything had to him while he was out with Bolton and Paul the night before. She chucked her phone onto the bed and left the bedroom to go back downstairs to the kitchen.

"He stayed at Bolton's last night," Rachel said as she re-entered the kitchen and sat down at the table.

She herself down and watched as Eddie spread some butter onto one of his slices of toast, he looked up at her, "I'm guessing he sent you a message then, just to let you know,"

Rachel nodded, "I only just read it though because I think its fair to say I was a little bit…preoccupied last night," she smirked.

He smirked back at her before taking a bite out of his slice of toast, "are you sure you don't raspberry jam with that?" Rachel asked.

Eddie looked up with a distasteful look on his face, "can I pass? I prefer butter," he replied.

Rachel smiled at him as she picked up the jar of raspberry jam and began to spread it on her second, now cold, slice of toast.

"I'm going to go and do the food shopping later, do you wanna come with me?" Rachel asked Eddie as she washed their breakfast things up, thinking that Eddie's presence would make food shopping just that more bearable.

"Course it will, if it means I get to spend more time with you," Eddie replied as he walked behind her and took the tea towel out of her hands, pressing his lips to her neck as he did so.

Rachel smiled to herself, "it certainly does mean that. I hope you're going to wash and change your clothes before we go though,"

"Course I am," Eddie replied indignantly.

He looked at her with a mock hurt expression, he knew she was joking. She turned around to face him, "you could always use my shower, if you wanted to and I'd be more than happy to keep you company in there," she whispered seductively.

Eddie's eyes widened as he picked up on the clear indication in her sentence. "Hmm," he pretended to think about it for a few moments, "how can I refuse that?" he asked.

"I think the idea is that you're not supposed to," Rachel said as she grabbed hold of his hand and led him out of the kitchen and back up the stairs to the bathroom, leaving the dishes to drip dry on the draining board.

* * *

Eddie and Rachel emerged from her bathroom after their shower a while later. She smiled as she spotted Eddie's suitcase standing by her wardrobe, it felt so natural to her, having him in her house, she didn't ever want to go back to the way things had been for her before she and Eddie had got together. "Eddie," Rachel said.

"Yeah Rachel," Eddie replied as he opened his suitcase and took out a clean pair of jeans, a t-shirt and a pair of boxers.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Course you can, fire away,"

"I was just wondering…how would feel about moving in together?"

Eddie looked up at her and a smile began to spread across his face. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" he asked.

"That depends on what you think I'm suggesting,"

Eddie laughed, "you're asking me to move in, aren't you?"

Rachel nodded, "if you want to of course," she said.

"I'd love to Rach," Eddie replied as he dropped his clothes on the bed and walked back over to her before kissing her passionately. He pulled away and gazed into her eyes, "you do realise that if I'm going to move in here, we're going to have to tell the staff that we're together, they'll soon put two and two together,"

Rachel nodded once more, "I know Eddie. We're all professionals; they should be able to deal with it. It seems a small sacrifice to pay for being able to live with you,"

"Don't you think we'll get irritated being in each other's pockets all day every day?"

Rachel laughed, "probably but then we get to make up in the evening," she smirked at him.

"I like the way you think Miss Mason," Eddie said as he pulled her closer to him.

"We'll need to tell Phillip as well,"

Eddie nodded as he pressed a kiss to her forehead, "we'll talk to him when he gets back, when do you want me to move in?"

"Whenever you want,"

"Tomorrow then," Eddie decided.

"Sounds perfect to me," Rachel said as she kissed him. All of a sudden, another thought occurred to her, "we should tell him about my pregnancy as well."

Eddie nodded, "I think its probably best if we tell him now, don't want him thinking we're keeping secrets from him,"

Rachel nodded as she walked towards her wardrobe and began to get dressed. It took a lot longer than she would've liked because Eddie couldn't keep his hands off her. Eventually, she gave up. "Right," she said as she removed Eddie's arms from around her waist, "I'm going to get dressed in there," she pointed towards the bathroom, "because I actually wanna get the food shopping done today," she added as she walked into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her.

Eddie watched as she walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. _So, this is what its going to be like living with Rachel Mason_, he thought. He didn't care, he still loved her.

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Reviews? xxx

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	6. Moving In

**Hey guys!**

**Update for you, sorry its taken so long, been away in Derbyshire up until just over an hour ago.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, its very much appreciated :D**

**Please keep the reviews coming!**

**Love you all Gemz xxxx**

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Chapter 6: Moving In

Rachel pulled her car up in her driveway when she and Eddie came back from doing the food shopping later that afternoon. She got out of the car and went to unlock the front door before heading back to the car to give Eddie a hand with the groceries. "I'll do this Rachel," he said as she reached into the boot to take out a couple of bags of groceries.

"Eddie, I'm pregnant, not an invalid," she replied as she took of the two grocery bags and took them inside.

Eddie sighed and shook his head as he took the final two bags out of the boot and closed it. Rachel emerged in the front doorway and locked the car before heading back into the house, Eddie following suit. He followed her into the kitchen and deposited the final two bags on the worktop with all the others. They unloaded all the stuff and then began to pack it away in the various cupboards. "So, what are we having for dinner tonight then Rachel?" Eddie asked once they had finished packing the groceries away.

"Ummm, how about I cook? Lasagne sound OK to you?" Rachel replied.

"Sounds perfect," Eddie replied as he walked towards the kissed her gently on the forehead.

Rachel smiled as she looked up at the clock, "I may as well get started now so shoo!" she said as she pushed Eddie towards the door.

"Why have I got to go?"

"Because Eddie, we both know full well that you can't keep your hands to yourself, especially where I am concerned and if you stay in here I'm cooking, we will get round to eating, just go and find something to keep yourself occupied,"

"OK fine," Eddie said as he left the kitchen and closed the door after him.

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Rachel cooked the lasagne and when it was finished, she set the table and put hers and Eddie's plates down on the table, leaving some for Phillip in the oven in case he wanted something to eat when he came back. She left the kitchen and went through Eddie, who was sat in the living room watching a football match on the TV. "Dinner's ready," Rachel said as she stood in the living room doorway.

Eddie didn't look away from the TV and Rachel sighed to herself. She walked into the living room and took the remote control off the arm of the sofa and switched it off. "I was watching that!" Eddie said as he turned to face Rachel.

"I know that, I was thinking that surely I'm more interesting to you than a football match," she smiled at him.

Eddie thought about that for a moment, "hmmm, I think you are Rachel because there's things you can do to me that a television certainly can't,"

Rachel laughed at him, "I bet there is," she smirked at him, knowing exactly what she meant.

Eddie smiled back at as he stood up and followed her through to the kitchen.

They sat at the table and ate their dinner together, laughing and joking about anything and everything. This was the way things had been for them right from the start, they were both so comfortable in each other's company that they didn't feel the need to hold anything back when they were together. They talked about everything from the plans for Eddie's move in to how they were going to tell the staff about their relationship. Once the dinner had been eaten, Rachel and Eddie cleared away the plates and she began to wash up, delegating Eddie to do the drying. She turned on the taps and poured some washing up liquid into the bowl, waiting until the bowl was almost full before switching off the taps. Rachel looked towards and caught him unawares by flicking some of the soapy water at him, "Oh, so that's your game is it Rachel?" Eddie asked. Rachel smirked at him, trying to contain the giggle that was threatening to escape, "two can play at that game," he added as he flicked more of the soapy water in her direction.

She giggled and flicked even more at him. Within seconds, it became a fully-blown water fight and they were soon both soaked to the skin. Eddie wrapped his arms around Rachel's waist and backed her away from the sink and into one of the worktops. All giggling ceased as they stared into each other's eyes and the space between gradually closed until they were kissing, madly, furiously, desperate for the moment not to end. Rachel's hands found Eddie's shirt buttons and began to undo them. In turn, his hands found the hem of her t-shirt and began to lift it upwards but they were disturbed by the turning of a key in the front door. They hastily pulled away and Eddie set about doing up his shirt buttons as he and Rachel heard footsteps padding towards the kitchen. "Rachel! You in?" they heard Phillip call.

"Yeah, in the kitchen Phil!" Rachel called back.

He opened the kitchen door and immediately spotted Eddie doing up his shirt. "I'm sorry," he said, thinking he'd interrupted something, "I didn't interrupt anything did I?"

Rachel shook her head, "no you didn't Phil, me and Eddie were just washing up," she replied.

_Oh, is that what they call it these days?_ Phil thought. "I'll leave you to it then," he said as he began to leave.

"No, it's alright Phil honestly, we'll leave you to it, there's some lasagne in the oven for you" Rachel said as she and Eddie headed for the kitchen door.

"Thanks Rach," he smiled appreciatively as he headed towards oven and took out the plate.

* * *

"Phillip, can we have a word with you?" Eddie asked Phillip once he'd finished his dinner and joined Rachel and Eddie in the living room.

"Course," Phillip replied as he sat down in the armchair and turned to face both Rachel and Eddie, "what about?"

"Well…" Rachel started, "you know me and Eddie have been seeing each other for about six weeks now," Phillip nodded his head, wondering where this was going to lead, "and we've got a couple of things we need to tell you before anyone else knows," she continued.

"OK," Phillip said slowly.

"Yesterday morning, I discovered that I was pregnant with Eddie's baby," Rachel said as she turned to smile at him before turning back to face Phillip, "we've also decided that we're going to make our relationship official."

"How do you mean official?" Phillip asked although, deep down, he knew what she meant, he wasn't completely stupid.

"We're going to tell the staff about us on Monday morning. Plus, Eddie's moving in here tomorrow,"

Phillip looked from Eddie to Rachel and back again, as though wondering whether they were playing a joke on him. "Say something please Phillip," Rachel said after at least a minute's silence.

"I'm happy for you both, I really am. It's just a lot to take in,"

"We know that Phillip," Eddie said, "which is why we told you first before letting the whole school know."

Phillip looked at them both and smiled, "thanks," he said, "and if you need any help with the move, just let me know."

"Thanks mate," Eddie said as silence descended in the living room as they all turned their attention to the film on the TV.

Phillip yawned as the movie credits began to roll. "I'm going to be off to bed you two, I'll see you in the morning,"

"Yeah see you Phillip," Rachel replied, "sleep well."

"Sleep well mate," Eddie added.

Phillip nodded as he stood and left the living room, closing the door behind him. Neither Eddie nor Rachel spoke until they heard the sound of footsteps ascending the staircase. "He took that better than I expected," Rachel said as she snuggled further into Eddie's warm and comforting embrace.

"He's a good kid Rachel, he just needs a bit of stability in his life, that's all,"

"I guess so, I was just worried he'd take it badly after everything that happened with you and Mel,"

"Hey, me and Melissa are in the past. Phillip wasn't responsible for what transpired between me and her, if I'm honest, I'm relived it happened because now I've got you and our little baby on the way, I wouldn't change any of it,"

"Me neither," Rachel replied as she leant upwards and pressed her lips softly to his.

He responded for a brief moment and then they pulled away as Rachel stifled a yawn, "come on, let's head up to bed," Eddie said as he picked up the remote and switched the TV off.

Rachel smiled up at him, "yeah OK then," she said as she got up, holding her hand out for Eddie to take.

He walked over to the TV and pushed the button before walking back towards Rachel, grasping her hand in his as he led him out of the living room and up the stairs to her bedroom.

Once inside, Rachel went straight over to her chest of drawers and rummaged through a drawer to find her night dress. When she found it, she made her way to the bathroom, turning in the doorway to smile at him before entering. While she was in the bathroom, Eddie undressed and sat on the edge of the bed waiting for her to emerge. Soon after, Rachel came back and climbed underneath the duvet, he climbed in beside her and lay down on his side, smiling at her. Rachel shuffled towards him and wrapped an around his waist. He wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck, taking in the smell that was so unmistakeably her. Eddie gently ran his fingers up and down her back, causing Rachel to giggle at his gentle movements. She planted a gentle kiss against his shoulder before allowing her eyelids to droop and eventually close. Eddie stayed awake for several moments, listening to her breathing, feeling her chest rising and falling gently against his own. Soon enough, the sound of Rachel's slow, gentle breathing lulled him into his own slumber.

* * *

Both Rachel and Eddie were awake fairly early the next morning, both eagerly anticipating his move into her house, knowing that this was going to be the next big step in their relationship. Despite everything that had happened between Eddie and Melissa, neither of them had any qualms about taking their relationship to the next logical level, knowing that it would have to happen sometime before their baby was born.

Rachel, Eddie and Phillip made their round to Eddie's house later that morning to begin helping Eddie to move his stuff from his house to Rachel. She was restricted in what she could do however, especially as Eddie was refusing to let her lift anything too heavy, due to the pregnancy and the fact that he wanted to protect their unborn baby.

Once the boot was loaded full to bursting point, Rachel drove herself and Phillip back to her place so that he could unload the stuff and then come back for the next lot.

It only took one more trip to have all of Eddie's stuff moved into Rachel's place and, after a break for lunch, Rachel and Eddie started unpacking his things and putting them away, "I can't believe we're actually doing this," Rachel said later that afternoon whilst Eddie was unpacking his clothes out of his case.

Eddie looked towards her, "you're not regretting it already are you?" he asked.

She shook her head and smiled at him, "Course not, I'm just so very happy, I can't believe its happening,"

"Well, you'd better believe it Rachel, you're not getting rid of me anytime soon," Eddie said as he walked towards her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I wouldn't want to get rid of you," Rachel replied as she leant towards him and kissed him softly on the lips.

Eddie responded for a few brief seconds and then pulled away, "as much as I'd love to keep kissing those gorgeous lips," he murmured, "I don't think the unpacking can wait."

"Why not?" Rachel replied indignantly.

"Because the unpacking would probably get left and you'd probably get annoyed with me for leaving it,"

Rachel tilted her head to one side and smirked at him, "OK point taken," she said, "I'll leave you to unpack then." she added as she removed his hands from her waist and walked towards the bedroom door.

Eddie stared after her until she'd completely left the doorway, closing the door behind her before turning his attention back to unpacking.

* * *

Eddie finished unpacking his clothes a while later and decided that he wanted to cook a meal to celebrate his moving in. He poked his head around the living room door and saw Phillip and Rachel playing uno over the coffee table. "Anyone fancy pasta for dinner?" he asked.

Both Rachel and Phillip looked around, "only if you're cooking it, I love your pasta," she replied flirtatiously, remembering that Eddie cooked that for her on their first date.

Eddie nodded, "yeah, I'm cooking. Pasta OK with you Phillip?" he asked.

"Yeah great," Phillip replied.

Eddie smiled at them both before withdrawing his head and headed off to the kitchen.

True to his word, Eddie cooked his pasta for Rachel and Phillip that evening and it was met by general appreciation, even more so from Rachel. She'd already tasted it once before his cooking never ceased to amaze her. The conversation continued to flow long after dinner had been demolished until Phillip excused himself from the table as he had homework to do for the next day. "Typical boy he is, leaving his homework until last thing at night!" Rachel remarked once he'd left the room.

Eddie laughed, "he's a good kid," he replied.

Rachel nodded, "he is, he just needs a chance to prove that,"

They gazed into each others eyes for a few moments before Eddie broke their searing gaze, "do you want me to help with the dishes?" he asked.

Rachel looked at him and an unmistakeable smile spread across her face, "cooking the dinner and offering to help with the dishes, you really are a domestic god aren't you?" she replied.

He smiled back at her, "I guess I am but don't tell anyone,"

"I won't say a word,"

They both got up and carried the dishes over to the sink and Rachel turned on the taps before pouring washing up liquid into the water. Soon enough, all the dishes had been washed and Rachel and Eddie were sprawled out on the sofa, wrapped in each other's arms, "how do you feel about tomorrow?" Eddie asked as he tucked a strand of Rachel's hair behind her ear.

"Tomorrow?" Rachel replied, the excitement of having Eddie move in had made her temporarily forget that she and Eddie were meant to be telling the staff about them tomorrow.

"Yeah, tomorrow, me and you, going public,"

"Oh yeah. Sorry, I just completely forgot about it, what with you moving in and everything. I'm OK with it I suppose, it's gonna have to be done at some point and it seems a small sacrifice to make just so that we don't have to sneak around anymore,"

"As long as you're OK with it," Eddie said as he kissed the top of Rachel's head.

"I'm fine with it, as I said, it's got to be done at some point, we can't go on in secret forever,"

She turned her head to face Eddie and kissed him softly on the lips. He deepened the kiss and pried open her mouth with his tongue and it danced gleefully around the space it had just gained access to. Rachel's tongue followed suit into his mouth, gently exploring in the same way Eddie's was. Soon enough, Rachel pulled away and smiled at him, "come on, let's get off to bed, we've got a busy day tomorrow," she said.

"Damn, you certainly know how to ruin a moment," Eddie replied.

"I certainly do,"

Rachel stood up and Eddie followed suit, she left the living room and Eddie followed her upstairs to hers, or rather, their bedroom. Soon after they slipped under the duvet, both Rachel and Eddie fell asleep, tiredness overtaking them as a result of the move, both happy in the knowledge that now, they never had to spend the night apart again.

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